Many forms of dispensing containers and storage vessels for pharmaceutical compositions have been introduced to the market in recent years. Pharmaceutical compositions, particularly those in the form of pre-measured tablets, pills, powders and capsules, have been dispensed from vials, bottles, or blister packages.
Recently, blister packages have been designed to be child resistant. That is, the packages have been designed to be particularly resistant to opening by younger children yet manageable for an adult. In many cases, multiple steps must be performed in sequence to open a child safety blister package. Another convenience of a child safety, blister package is that individual dosages of a composition can be separately sealed in blister cavities, each cavity having the child safety feature. After administration of a dosage of composition, the empty portion of a blister cavity can be removed and disposed. Along with instructions and scheduling information that can be included in the pharmaceutical treatment card, the blister package can serve as an aid for self-administration of a composition as prescribed.
Presently, there is needed a pharmaceutical treatment card incorporating a child resistant, blister package assembly therein. Generally, the child resistant, blister package must be difficult for young children, e.g. ranging of about 27 to about 60 months of age, to open. A pharmaceutical treatment card incorporating a blister package can provide useful instruction and information on the covers thereof, as well as a means of safely securing the composition within the blister package against child tampering.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,500 to Godfrey et al., issued Jul. 27, 1999 suggest a pharmaceutical containment package characterized by cover and backing layers constructed of a reinforcing fabric substrate having a blister card disposed there between. However, Godfrey et al. fails to provide a child resistant blister within the package. Generally, an individual dosage of a pharmaceutical composition can be pushed through a perforated backing conforming to the general shape of the dosage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,505 to Hofmann et al., issued Aug. 26, 1998 teaches a childproof, blister package, characterized as a multiple layer assembly, having a 2×3 array of individually sealed, blister cavities with vertical and horizontal, perforation lines for separating each blister pack. At the intersections of vertical and horizontal perforation lines, there are cavities wherein the layers thereunder are unsealed. Separation of a section of the package produces a pull-tab from the unsealed area, wherein pulling the tab separates the layer from the blister cavity to expose a pill.
PCT publication WO 97/02192, published Mar. 16, 1999 suggest a multiple layer blister pack having a 2×8 array of individual, blister cavities. The pack has a lid foil layer connected to a base foil layer with two parallel and offset rows of individual blisters, wherein perforation lines on each side of the lid foil divide the blister rows, and perforation lines, perpendicular to the lid foil layer divide each offset row. At each intersection of parallel and perpendicular, perforation lines, there is a notch cavity. In removing a pill from a blister cavity, an individual blister is separated from the pack along the perforation lines, exposing the layers underneath the notch cavity. The layers peel away from the blister cavity to dislodge the pill.
There is a need for a more advanced blister package. A package that provides adequate sealing and child safety, yet manageable for an adult to easily open. The inclusion of blister package can be adapted to fit into a pharmaceutical treatment card that includes a regimen for administering the composition to a patient in need thereof.
The present invention provides a childproof blister package suitable for containing a pharmaceutical composition in the form of pills, tablets, capsules, etc. The package requires additional steps to manipulate the components thereof to dislodge a pill therefrom.